Toronto: Canadian police have arrested two men and charged them with first-degree murder in the targeted shooting of Ripudaman Singh Malik, the Sikh man acquitted in the tragic 1985 Air India Kanishka terrorist bombing case that killed 331 people.
On July 15, Malik was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia. Malik and co-accused Ajaib Singh Bagri were acquitted in 2005 of mass murder and conspiracy charges related to the two bombings in 1985. The 1985 Air India bombing is among the worst terrorist attacks in Canadian history and in the history of the airline.
Tanner Fox, a 21-year-old from Abbotsford, British Columbia and 23-year-old Jose Lopez, from the Vancouver suburb of New Westminster, were both arrested, said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Police were tight-lipped, only saying the two were arrested peacefully in their respective cities and that collaboration between police helped lead to the arrests.
“Through conventional investigative techniques and amazing police work, we were able to identify and arrest two suspects in relation to this homicide. Both of these individuals are known to police,” said superintendent Mandeep Mooker, a spokesperson for the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT).
Malik's son Jaspreet Singh Malik said his family took the news with mixed emotions. “No matter where the investigation goes and no matter how these charges turn out, we have lost a great man,” said Jaspreet.
Jaspreet said police have not told the family any more than it has divulged publicly, and did not want to speculate on why his father was targeted. The IHIT says the probe into the slaying of controversial Surrey businessman Malik continues despite first-degree murder charges. Fox and Lopez appeared in Surrey provincial court and have been remanded in custody until their next court date
Malik was shot while sitting in his car at a Surrey business complex, of which he was the strata president, on July 14. A suspect vehicle was found on fire nearby, according to RCMP, who at the time said the shooting appeared targeted.
